Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is a military controlled area, where all the news are filtered by the military and the Bangladeshi government.CHT, where blood has shed for decades and hopes were burnt to ashes by the brutes, constitutes of people who want their voice to be heard. We are here to ensure that the voice of these unheard victims in CHT echo around the world despite the Bangladeshi government trying to suppress them in the biased state run media.
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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Twenty seven Jumma
families fled their homes on Friday, 5 April, after the Bengali settlers
attacked their village Pran Kumar Para under Barnal
Union in Matiranga Upazila of Khagrachari
district. The attacks also left 10 villagers injured.

The victims have now
taken shelter with their relatives in the village of Apurno Mahajon Para in Gomti Union.
Some of the attack victims
reached Khagrachari today after tracking a long distance taking a devious
mountainous route.
According to them,
the first attack took place on 2 April. ‘On the night of that day, around 2am,
some 40 – 50 illegal Bengali settlers surrounded the house of Durjoy Tripura in
Pran Kumar Para and asked him whether he had seen any UPDF men.’ they said.
‘When Durjoy
answered ‘No’, the setters began beating him. The attackers also broke a door
of the house of Paltan Joy Tripura, 42.’ they added.
They said the Border
Guards Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were present behind the settlers during the
attack.
The second attack was
launched on Friday night (5 April). About the incident of that day, Dhana
Bikash Tripura, 37, son of Jobindra Tripura has it to say: ‘It was about 1:30 at night. About 2 – 3 thousand settlers from
Chouddagram Para, Sharat Master Para, Jafar Para and Karim Master Para under
Amtoli and Bornal Unions surrounded our village from four directions. Then some
of the settlers threw a few stones on the roof of a Bengali house and burst
firecrackers before attacking my house. They beat me severely. They hit me on
the head and I fell on the ground. When my wife, my mother and my brothers came
to save me, the attackers beat them as well. The settlers shouted ‘Allahu
Akbar’ and ‘Naraey Takbir’ at the time of the attack.’
He said the
marauding settlers also smashed his house, shop, a television, a bicycle and other
belongings in the house and looted goods from his shop and mobile handsets.
Those who were
injured in the attack are Durjoy Tripura, 22, Kanta Ray Tripura, 30, Chande Ray
Tripura, 22, Kambha Ray Tripura, 20, Tapan Bikash Tripura, 25, Jyoti Ray
Tripura, 21, Boba Ray Tripura, 18, Kishore Ray Tripura, 28 and Shova Ranjan
Tripura, 24.
Of them, Tapan
Bikash Tripura sustained fairly severe injury to his legs and ears and is now
suffering hearing impairment.
Since all the
residents of the village fled their homes, the only non-government primary
school in the village established by Jabrang Kalyan Samiti remains closed,
while the SSC examinees of the area cannot attend their exams fearing further
attacks.

Awami League leaders blamed
The victims blamed
the local Awami League leaders for the attacks. Dhana Bikash Tripura said, ‘We
could recognize some of the attackers – AL leaders Hashem, Kalam Mian, Monir, Zakir,
Momin and Karim.’
According to him,
the second attack was led by Rafique, member of Ward No. 6 of Bornal Union, Mir
Kashem, Momin, Shamshu Member and Yunus Member of Amtoli Union.
‘We all fled our
homes – all the villagers. We have taken shelter in Apurno Mahajon Para in Bama
Gomti.’ he added.
After the incident,
on 7 April, Md. Malek, a Bengali settler and a BNP activist, threatened in the
presence of BGB personnel, saying: ‘If the Tripura people don’t leave the village
of their own will, we’ll butcher them all.’
‘We are now living
in fear and afraid to go back to the village. We want safety and security of life
and property.’ the victims said.
Tapan Bikash
Tripura, another victim, said, ‘A little after midnight I woke up to shouts and
screams and went out of the house with my wife and children. Then I saw the
settlers beating my elder brother Dhana Bikash Tripura. I went up to them and
pleaded with them not to beat him. But they did not listen to me.’
‘At this point I
heard Jahangir, Monir, Mir Kashem, Nuru Mian, Hashem and Abul Hossain shouting:
“We’ll spare none of the Tripura people, we’ll chop them off, and we’ll finish
them off.”’
He said the settlers
also beat him. ‘When I tried to save my brother, they slapped me on the face.
They also beat me with sticks, hitting on my ears. I fell on the ground
unconscious.’
He went on to say: ‘I
recognized my attackers. They are Hashem, Monir and Abul Hossain. They also
took my mobile handset and my wrist watch.’
The 27 Jumma
families affected by the attack and now taken shelter in Apurno Mahajon Para
are Dhana Bikash Tripura, Paltanjoy Tripura, Toklai Moni Tripura, Ratna Devi
Tripura (a widow), Jobindra Tripura, Toimala Tripura, Chakkela Tripura, Kanta
Ray Tripura, Shova Ranjan Tripura, Lotabi Tripura, Chande Ray Tripura, Durjoy
Tripura, Jyoti Ray Tripura, Binanta Tripura, Ekana Tripura, Dui Ana Tripura
(village head or Karbari), Tapan Bikash Tripura, Ratan Bhushan Tripura, Kambha
Ray Tripura, Kishore Ray Tripura, Dhana Mohan Tripura, Baron Kumar Tripura,
Shialcha Tripura, Jibon Kumar Tripura, Jawhr Lal Trpura, Bhagna Kumar Tripura
and Siddhi Joy Tripura.

UPDF condemns
The United Peoples’
Democratic Front (UPDF) has condemned the attacks on the Tripura people in
Matiranga and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice.
‘The unprovoked attack
was aimed at driving the Jumma people from their village and take away their
lands and homestead’, Riko Chakma, a UPDF organizer in Khagrachari said.
The attacks were also condemned
by Democratic Youth Forum, Hill Women’s Federation and Hill Students’ Council.

About Me

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), home of Jumma Indigenous people, is a military controlled area, where all the news are filtered by the military and the Bangladeshi government. No foreigners are allowed to enter this military zone without obtaining permission from the Bangladeshi government.
CHT, where blood has shed for decades and hopes were burnt to ashes by the brutes, constitutes of people who want their voice to be heard. We are here to ensure that the voice of these unheard victims in CHT echo around the world despite the Bangladeshi government trying to suppress them in the biased state run media.
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